STUCK ON YOU - ***/5

Charming and pleasing Farley Brothers present this tale about simese twins(Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear) who showcase their comedic talents. The funniest moment of the movie is when Kinnear in a frightening fashion completely copied Ted Koppell as he interviewd Damon's Mike Tyson.

Le Samouraï - (Jean-Pierre Melville;1967;France/Italy) -
A perfectionist hitman is put in peril between the police and his nervous employers when he leaves a few witnesses on a contract.
Could this be the greatest crime film of all time? Jef Costello is definitely the best hitman character I can come up with. This film proves to be a perfectly paced drama/suspense film. The Jazzy score is relaxing, and reflects the loneliness of the film wonderfully. The noir-ish cinematography is also a delight, full of grays and some blues. Alain Delon is piercing as Costello, in one of the best performances in a crime film, as the sociopath protagonist. It's also very influential, from Tarantino to Mann to movies like Leon or The Transporter. It could be loneliness, a gradual disintegration of hope, or even both. One thing is for sure, it's an excellent film, and one of the coolest around.
#1 Favorite

A must see.

Wow. I really really have to see Le Samourai.

Yeah I havent seen it on any top movies lists ever that I can remember, but Im really excited to see it based on Don V's recommendation alone.

Bonnie & Clyde #27 on the AFI Top 100 List ***

Bonnie Parker is bored with life and wants a change. She gets her chance when she meets a charming young drifter by the name of Clyde Barrow. Clyde has dreams of a life of crime that will free him from the hardships of the Depression. The two fall in love and begin a crime spree that extends from Oklahoma to Texas. They rob small banks with skill and panache, soon becoming minor celebrities known across the country. To their victims, the duo is doing what nobody else has the guts to do. To the law, the two are evil bank robbers who deserve to be gunned down where they stand. I really enjoyed Warren Beatty's, Faye Dunaway's and Gene Hackman's performance as well as the editing/directing. It was nice to see Gene Wilder in there as well and my favorite part would have to be the end with all the quick shots between Bonnie & Clyde, and the birds, etc

would you mind to elaborate this, Mick? Where exactly do you see the film is "catering for Western audiences"?

The Devil's Rejects ***

Ambushed at their homestead by Sheriff Wydell and a squad of armed men, the Firefly family awakens with guns blazing - yet only Otis and his sister, Baby, manage to escape unharmed. Taking refuge and hostages in a back-road motel, the wanted siblings rendezvous with their deranged partner in crime, Captain Spaulding, killing whoever happens to stand in their way. But as the body count mounts higher, Sheriff Wydell decides to "cross the line" and take the law into his own hands. A very good movie with a lot of humor that made it even more enjoyable. This made sitting through House of 1000 Corpses all worthwhile. All 3 characters, Captain Spaulding, Baby and Otis are all enjoyable characters. A very good recommendation ronnie. Thanks!

What did I tell ya Irish?

Still, I'm glad you totally dug the sequel, which apparently from your post, you prefered it totally over the original HOUSE. I agree as well on that aspect.

YES!!! THANK YOU GOD!

Cronenberg's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE finally opens up at my local theater.

Dr. Strangelove #26 on the AFI Top 100 List ** 1/2

U.S. Air Force Colonel Jack Ripper goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. He suspects that the communists are conspiring to pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of the American people. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Peter Sellers portrays the three men who might avert this tragedy: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the only person with access to the demented Gen. Ripper; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose best attempts to divert disaster depend on placating a drunken Soviet Permier and the former Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove, who concludes that "such a device would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious". I did enjoy the directing of this film, but I think what ruined it for me was that I didn't "get" the ending. SPOILERS I understood everything up to where the pilot is dropped with the bomb. The last shot in the war room through me off with Dr. Stranglove, the Soviet Ambassater, the President, etc. END OF SPOILERS My favorite character was probably Gen. 'Buck' Turgidson portrayed by George C. Scott

SPOILER
The explosions could be the Doomsday machine's reaction to the bomb. I love it, with the song. We'll meet again with several bombs going off, simply stating that war will happen again, and again, and again.
SPOILER END

SPOILERS

Yeah but what was with Dr. Strangelove giving the Nazi salute, getting out of his wheelchair crying "I can walk" and the Russion Ambass taking pictures?

END OF SPOILERS

SPOILER
Well, Strangelove isn't playing with a full deck of cards, which is why he has those outbursts. Plus he can't control his right hand, which is why he does the salute. In fact, the real life illness was named after the character I believe. The final scene just showed the madness of all the politicians, Strangelove's stupid plan, the Russian taking photos for his country. The "I can walk" part was probably a really random outburst. I can't really explain it, but it was just an unexpected, funny moment.
SPOILER END

IMO, this is the best satire ever, and Kubrick's best from what I've seen, closely followed by A Clockwork Orange.

Dr. Strangelove is one of the greatest on-screen characters ever created.

I can't believe you still haven't seen 2001.

That film is an absolute must see for movie buffs. SEE IT NOW.

Corpse Bride
2005, Johnson/Burton, GB/US 1st time; big screen
On the eve of his wedding to a complete stranger, a fragile man is mistaken by a corpse to be her groom, and he must escape the dead world below if he is to marry.
As technically accomplished as The Nightmare before Christmas, and with many delightful references, to films old and new, as well as Burton's own oeuvre.

Mick

would you mind to elaborate this, Mick? Where exactly do you see the film is "catering for Western audiences"? [/b][/quote]Sure, Lav. I'd seen the opening ten minutes of this film before, at a cinema class where we'd just watched the original (I've seen the original many times, and it's one of the my favourite films of its year). How is it catering for Western audiences (and by that, I mean mainstream audiences used to watching Hollywood films)? Well, it simply spells everything out for them. At one point, during an autopsy, the coroner is reporting and says a technical medical term. Eckhart then says to Dormer (Pacino) what it means. Only, it wasn't telling his partner, it was telling us, as viewers. That's fine, but it can also be insulting. I didn't know what the technical term meant, but frankly, I didn't have to. A girl's been murdered and that's that. Scandinavian Cinema (encompassing Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland) is much more subtle, down-to-earth, and, if I may throw in an adjective I don't really like to use if I can avoid it, "realistic". In short, the original presents its audience with its own world, while the remake must adhere to the world of Hollywood.

I think it can be summed up by the name of the setting, to make it obvious enough: "Welcome to Nightmute."

I'll definitely go back to it, though. I was reading an IMDb review the other day which complained about Robin Williams being a bad castign choice, and that whenever he was on screen the film became talkative (as if humans aren't allowed to talk, and as if talking is not allowed); I thought Williams' turn was fantastic, both contrasting and complimenting Pacino's (for once) sustained performance (I think Al only allowed himself one verbal outburst here, which is good going).

Hope this has elaborated.
Thanks,
Mick

What do you think of One Hour Photo Capo? I think Williams did even better in that film. It was a very good film, although I haven't seen it in probably over a year.

I've not seen it; remember when it came out, and I was going to go and see it, but let it pass (like I do many others).

Mick

It's worth a viewing. It's a very interesting and obscure role to see him in, but he did a great job. He brought alot to it, and the film really captured the disturbing aspect of handing a complete stranger a record of your personal life.

I just saw The Great Santini with Robert Duvall for the first time. I had been wanting to see this one for a long time, its been staring at me from my video-store shelf for at least half a year, and I finally got around to it today after renting it at least 3 times before and never watching it. :rolleyes:

I was very interested to see more of Duvall's work after I became familiar with him in the Godfather. This was a very different type of character for him, loud and obnxious, strict and demanding, as opposed to the quiet and reserved Tom Hagen.

I felt like the film and the story had so much potential. A tough Marine Corps seargant returns to his family after a long tour of duty, packs up his wife and 4 kids, and moves them to South Carolina, where he is to be stationed. Emotional stress ensues within the family and within the main character, Bull Meechum, himself.

The film set me up to think it was going to show you Duvall's personality through his training at his new Marine camp, but instead the main focus of the film was his relationship with his family and especially his eldest son, who has just turned 18.

A long and unnecessary subplot is created to show the son forming a friendship with a local black boy, this boy getting into trouble with some racist white people, and then both he and his persecutors end up dead. I felt this whole side story was completely uneccesary.

Duvall, overall, is in excellent form, and he plays the seargant perfectly, as well as realistically as far as I know from expierience with real life Marines. Some of the acting is a bit corny on the supporting actors parts, as theres a number of amateurs here, and the direction is average at best.

The ending, where Duvall dies from a sudden plane crash caused by a mysterious fire on board, seemed forced, kind out of the blue, and cliched. The aftermath is just 15 minutes of mixed emotional signals.

The final scene of the film, where Duvall's son takes the wheel of the family car to drive them to a new house, seems to have been pointing towards showing the viewer how despite the boys attempts to change his father and be different from him, he has ultimately become him.

I may just be searching for meaning in just another throw-away scene, but it seemed like it was there.

Overall, a good peroformance by Duvall, a story with good potential, but the film is hindered by a long uneccesary side story, and a muddled ending.

2 1/2 out of 5

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial #25 on the AFI Top 100 List ** 1/2

While visiting the Earth at Night, a group of alien botanists is discovered and disturbed by an approaching human task force. Because of the more than hasty take-off, one of the visitors is left behind. The little alien finds himself all alone on a very strange planet. Fortunately, the extra-terrestrial soon finds a friend and emotional companion in 10-year-old Elliot, who discovered him looking for food in his family's garden shed. While E.T. slowly gets acquainted with Elliot's brother Michael, his sister Gertie as well as with Earth customs, members of the task force work day and night to track down the whereabouts of Earth's first visitor from Outer Space. The wish to go home again is strong in E.T., and after being able to communicate with Elliot and the others, E.T. starts building an improvised device to send a message home for his folks to come and pick him up. But before long, E.T. gets seriously sick, and because of his special connection to Elliot, the young boy suffers, too. The situation gets critical when the task force finally intervenes. A heart warming movie for the family that I enjoyed younger as a child. A good performance by then 7-year-old Drew Barrymore.

well, I'd say the coroner feels he has to explain Dormer the medical term, because Dormer (not unlike us) doesn't have to know it. In fact a cop doesn't necessarily know all autopsy-related terms, while it's true that he should be more familiar with them than the average viewers. In short, in my opinion it was a little didactic compromise. I wouldn't say that that bit was meant for "Hollywood feeded" audiences.

That kind of cinema (as good as it is) can be extremely laconic. Sometimes it's so wordless that I doubt the adjective "realistic" really fits it.


well, Pacino's character's surname is obviuos enough too to describe (by contrast) the character itself. Being called "Dormer" is quite ironical for someone suffering from insommia, isn't it?

I bet the reviewer was Norvegian!!! I told you Scandinavians don't like words too much! Anyway, I liked this movie too and I want to rewatch it soon. Pacino and Williams are great. The movie deserves to be watched if only for that outstanding couple of actors.

Sure it has. As beautifully as ever. Thank you, Mick!

I agree. And considering that Williams usually plays the good guy role, he really made a strikingly good job. Only really great actors can change roles and be equally convincing. As for the movie, what about the photos-covered wall? Sicko!

Raging Bull #24 on the AFI Top 100 List ****

Based on the life and career of boxer Jake LaMotta, Raging Bull focuses on Jake's rage and violence that makes him virtually unstoppable in the ring. The same anger also drives Jake to beat his wife and his brother Joey, and sends Jake down a self-destructive spiral of paranoia and rage. Truly fantastic performances by Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. My favorite Scorsese movie of all time. I loved the use of sound and speed in the movie, particularily in the boxing ring when the crowd would be totally silent or when Jake would come charging at an opponent only to speed up with the animal noises playing. A masterpiece in every sense of the word

I'm going to be watching Blue Velvet for the first time either tonight or tomorrow night. I can't wait.

Rewatched Lawrence of Arabia
I dont have enough words to describe this masterpiece. David Lean created a beauty here. Peter O Toole gives one of the best Screenperformances in Cinema History as T.E. Lawrence, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn and the rest of the Cast are simply great too. Maurice Jarre's Music is just wonderful. Everything is perfect and works fine here, even the length.

I cant believe that this movie is so underrated, not only on IMDB, but by the fellow Boardmembers. For all who haven't seen this beauty, what are you waiting for?

10/10 (Top 10)

Plein soleil/Delitto in pieno sole/Purple Moon
1960, Clément, Fr/Ita 1st time; big screen
Hired to bring back a playboy in Rome to his father, a man with a talent at forging decides to kill his quarry and assume his identity.
First-rate thriller with two extremely done murder scenes; inbetween, we have a tautly-directed, wonderfully performed noir which uses vibrant, primary colours in its pallet to create a kind of aesthetic paradox to the dark narrative.

Mick

TEAM AMERICA (2004) - ***/5

I reviewed this pretty damn funny picture earlier this year on DVD....

"Its 9/11 times a thousand!"
"My God, that is..."
"Yes, 911,000@"

Nosferatu: a Symphony of Horror - (F.W. Murnau;1922;Germany) -
Count Orlok travels from the Carpathian mountains to Germany, bringing a plague with him.
The greatest horror film ever. The best vampire, and although the cast falls short in terms of acting, Max Schreck himself shines as the rat-like Nosferatu. The Silent Orchestra score is wonderful and goes well with the film. The cinematography is ahead of it's time, as well as the direction Murnau accomplishes. A must-see, and before anyone asks, yes it is better then Dracula.
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